At the age of 36, a cancer scare made Crissi question her diet, which was heavy in meat, dairy “products”, and eggs.

According to the Cancer Council, around one-third of cancer cases in Australia each year could be prevented through lifestyle changes. Of the new cases each year, at least 7,000 could be directly attributed to low fruit and vegetable intake, low fibre intake, and excess consumption of red meat.

While switching to a vegan diet may have saved Crissi’s life, it also supercharged her career as a bodybuilder and certainly saved countless animals from enduring horrifying deaths. In the past five years, she’s claimed more than 20 titles, including the IFBB Australasia Bikini Model Masters Champion and the Arnold Classic Australia Bikini Masters Champion.

Most bodybuilders who eat meat, dairy “products”, and eggs endure long “cutting” periods of up to 16 weeks, but Crissi says that her diet allows her to stay lean all year round and makes her preparation period for competitions much shorter.

“I prep for around 5 to 8 weeks before a show and step on stage around 10 to 12 per cent body fat,” she says.